site.btaJuvenile Crime Drops in 2023 Y/Y, Other Worrying Trends Revealed in Government Report

Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov reported during a sitting of the Central Commission for Combating Juvenile Delinquency under the Council of Ministers here on Tuesday that while criminal acts committed by juveniles are decreasing, the overall trends are worrying. The Commission adopted a report on the activities of the central and local commissions for combating juvenile delinquency in 2023, as well as an analysis of the status and trends of crime and delinquency committed by juveniles in 2023.

Zafirov said: "I am satisfied with the work done in 2023, the increased number of campaigns, initiatives and activities to combat anti-social behaviour that the Commission has implemented. However, I am concerned about the trends of decreasing age of the offenders, increasing numbers and severity of some offences, increasing use of opiates despite the reported overall increase in reduction in criminal offending compared to 2022." He concluded that the sense of a lack of state and security has a serious impact on the psyche of adolescents, which leads to a "severe decline in moral values".

Among the main criminogenic factors behind juvenile delinquency are the low standard of living, unemployment, poverty, value models that tolerate aggression and violence, non-enrolment and dropping out of school, the underdeveloped system of psychological assistance and social-pedagogical services, violence in the family, undereducated parents, problems in communication between parents and children.